2924 



RHAMNUS 



RHAMNUS 



3370. Rhamnus cathartica. (X 1 A) 



EE. Peduncles usually shorter 

 than the petiole: Ivs. with 

 610 pairs of veins, usually 

 acutish or short-acuminate. 13. caroliniana 

 DD. Apex of Ivs. usually long- 

 acuminate: Ivs. pubescent 

 beneath at least on the veins. 14. crenata 

 BB. Fls. in sessile umbels ............. 15. Frangula 



1. catMrtica, Linn. BUCKTHORN. HART'S-THORN. 

 WAYTHORN. RHINEBERRY. Fig. 3370. Shrub or small 

 tree, attaining 12 ft., usually thorny: Ivs. oval to elliptic 

 or ovate, usually rounded at the base or cordate, obtuse 



or acute, crenulate- 

 \ ___ _ serrate, beneath 



green, glabrous or 



Eubescent, l%-3 in. 

 >ng: fls. in 2-5-fld. 

 clusters, with 4 

 petals : fr. black, 

 about M m - across; 

 seed with a furrow 

 usually open only at 

 the base. Eu., W. 

 and N. Asia; often 

 escaped from cult. 

 and naturalized in 

 the E. U. S. B.B. 

 (ed. 2) 2:502. Gng. 

 9:2. H.W. 3, p. 56. 



2. dahftrica, Pall. 

 (R. cathdrtica var. 

 dahurica, Maxim.). 

 Fig. 3371. Large, 

 spreading shrub, 

 with stout thorny 

 branches, sometimes a tree, to 30 ft. : branchlets gla- 

 brous: Ivs. oblong or sometimes elliptic, narrowed at 

 the base, acuminate, crenulate-serrate, glabrous, grayish 

 green beneath, somewhat coriaceous at maturity, 2-4 

 in. long: fls. and fr. similar to those of the preceding 

 species, but fr. somewhat larger. Dahuria to Amur- 

 land and N. China. G.F. 9:425 (as R. crenata; adapted 

 in Fig. 3371). Sometimes cult, under the name of R. 

 crenata. Var. nipponica, Makino. Lvs. narrow-oblong, 

 light green beneath, 2-6 in. long and 1-2 in. broad. 

 Japan. 



3. japdnica, Maxim. Spreading shrub with thorny 

 branches, to 10 ft.: branchlets yellowish or grayish 

 brown, lustrous: Ivs. slender-stalked, obovate to oblong- 

 obovate, short-acuminate, cuneate at the base, ser- 

 rulate, sparingly pubescent or glabrous beneath, with 

 4-5 pairs of veins, 2-3 in. long: fls. in axillary clusters: 

 fr. black, J^-^in. across; seed usually with closed fur- 

 row. Japan. S.I.F. 2:48. 



4. fallax, Boiss. (R. aljnna, Auth., not Linn.). Shrub, 

 to 10 ft., with stout, upright, glabrous and reddish 

 brown branches: Ivs. elliptic-oblong to oblong or obo- 

 vate-oblong, cordate or rounded at the base, abruptly 

 acuminate, crenulate-serrate, with 12-20 pairs of veins, 

 dark green above, pale green and glabrous or nearly so 

 beneath, 3-5H in- long: fls. in 3-7-fld. clusters; petals 

 4: fr. globose, black, J^in. across or less. Mountains of 

 S. and Cent. Eu. This and the following species are the 

 handsomest of the deciduous-lvd. buckthorns because 

 of the large size of then- Ivs. 



5. imeretina, Koehne (R. colchica, Somm. & Lev. 

 R. alpina var. colchica, Kusn. R. aljnna var. grandi- 

 fdlia, Dipp. R. libanotica, Hook, f., not Boiss. R. 

 grandifolia, Hort., not Fisch. & Mey. R. castanesefolia, 

 Hort.). Allied to the preceding, but larger in every 

 part: shrub, attaining 10 ft.: branchlets and petioles 

 pubescent: Ivs. larger and longer, to 8 in. long, pubes- 

 cent beneath and often bronze-colored at maturity, 

 with 15-25 pairs of veins. Caucasus, W. Asia. B.M. 

 6721. M.D.G. 1906:405. 



6. alnifSlia, L'Her. Low, wide-spreading shrub, at- 

 taining 4 ft., with puberulous branchlets: Ivs. ovate to 

 oval, obtuse or acuminate, usually narrowed at the base, 

 crenately serrate, glabrous, 1^-4 in. long: fls. in few- 

 fld. clusters, 5-merous, without petals : fr. globose, black, 

 with 3 nutlets. New Bruns. and N. J. to Brit. Col. and 

 Calif. B.B. (ed. 2)2:503. 



7. lanceolata, Pursh. Tall, upright shrub, with 

 puberulous branchlets: Ivs. ovate-lanceolate to oblong- 

 lanceolate, acuminate or obtusish, finely serrulate, 

 glabrous or somewhat pubescent beneath, 1-3 Yi in- 

 long: fls. in few-fld. clusters, with 4 petals: fr. with 2 

 nutlets. Pa. to Ala., Texas, and Neb. B.B. (ed. 2) 

 2:503. 



8. crdcea, Nutt. RED-BERRY. Evergreen shrub to 3 

 ft., with rigid often spinescent branches: Ivs. orbicular 

 to oblong-obovate, glandular-denticulate or serrulate, 

 dark green and lustrous above, bronze- or copper-col- 

 ored and glabrous or slightly pubescent beneath, 

 }^-% in. long: fls. in few-fld. clusters, 4-merous, apeta- 

 lous: fr. bright red, about %-M m - across, edible. Calif. 



9. ilicifolia, Kellogg (R. crbcea var. ilicifolia, Greene). 

 Evergreen shrub or small tree, to 12, or sometimes to 

 20 ft., with rather stout scarcely spinescent branches: 

 Ivs. oval to orbicular, spinulose-dentate, dark green and 

 lustrous above, often golden beneath, M-IH m - long: 

 fls. often 5-merous, apetalous: fr. bright red, ovoid, 

 %in. long. Calif. S.S. 2:59 (as R. crocea). This is 

 superior to the preceding species on account of the more 

 plentiful and somewhat larger bright red berries, also the 

 Ivs. are larger and resemble those of Prunus ilicifolia. 



10. Alaternus, Linn. Evergreen shrub or small tree, 

 attaining 20 ft., with glabrous branches: Ivs. oval or 

 ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acute, serrate or almost 

 entire, glossy and dark green above, pale or yellowish 

 green beneath, glabrous, %-2 in. long: fls. in short 

 racemes, with 5 petals: fr. bluish black. S. Eu. H.W. 

 3, p. 59. Var. angustif61ia, DC. (R. angustifolia, Hort.), 

 has narrower, oblong-lanceolate Ivs. There are also 

 varieties with variegated foliage. 



11. californica, Esch. (R. oleifolia, Hook. R. Pur- 

 shiana var. californica, Rehd.). COFFEE-BERRY. Ever- 

 green shrub, to 15 ft. : Ivs. oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 

 acute or short-acuminate, serrulate or entire, glabrous 

 and yellowish green beneath, 1-4 in. long: peduncles 

 longer than petioles: fr. depressed-globose, changing 

 from red to purplish black, about J^in. across. S. Ore. 

 and Calif, to Ariz, and New Mex. R.H. 1874, p. 354. 

 S.S. 2:63, fig. 3. Var. tomentella, Brew. & Wats. (R. 

 Purshidna var. tomentella, Brandeg. R. tomentella, 

 Benth. R. incana, Carr. Frdngula californica var. 

 tomentella, Gray) . Allied to the preceding variety, but 

 Ivs. densely white-tomentose beneath. R.H. 1858, p. 

 658; 1872, p. 194. S.S. 2:63, fig. 2. 



12. Purshiana, DC. CASCARA SAGRADA. Tall shrub 

 to medium-sized tree, occasionally attaining 40 ft.: 

 young branchlets pubescent or tomentose: Ivs. elliptic 

 to ovate-oblong, acute or obtuse, usually denticulate, 

 with often wavy margin, dark green above, glabrous 

 or pubescent beneath, 1-7 in. long: peduncles longer 

 than petioles: fr. globose, changing from red to black, 

 about J^in. across, with 2-3 nutlets. Brit. Col. to Mont., 

 Idaho, and N. Calif. S.S. 2:62, 63. Cascara Sagrada 

 bark is extensively collected in Ore. and Wash, for use 

 in drug manufacture. 



13. caroliniana, Walt. INDIAN CHERRY. Shrub or 

 small tree, attaining 30 ft. : young branches puberulous: 

 Ivs. elliptic to oblong, acute or acuminate, obscurely ser- 

 rulate or almost entire, lustrous and dark green above, 

 glabrous or nearly so, somewhat leathery at length, 2-6 

 in. long: peduncles shorter than petioles: fr. globose, 

 about J^in. across, red changing to black, sweet, with 

 3 nutlets. N. Y. to Fla., west to Neb. and Texas. S.S. 

 2:61. B.B. (ed. 2) 2:503. 



